


Cupids, Tigers, and Pokemon Trainers- Oh My!

by heartsdesire456



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Big Brother Alec, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 17:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8409769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: When Magnus discovers that Max has never been trick-or-treating, he decides that he and Alec have to fix this immediately.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I had a longer, much more serious Halloween Fic planned and it just DID NOT pan out. So two days ago I went "FUCK IT! PLAN B!" and came up with this idea.
> 
> And since the vote for 'DON'T MAKE US WAIT!' won over "wait until Halloween Day to post", here you guys go!

Magnus absolutely adored Alec’s little brother. 

From the first time he met him and his worries about the little boy’s attitude towards Downworlders were countered by Max immediately demanding to see some ‘cool magic’, Magnus had always found time to pay a little attention to Max every time he got a chance. The most recent development was that Maryse Lightwood had _shockingly_ allowed Max to go with Alec to visit Magnus.

Magnus secretly thought that she probably figured, as long as Max was there, Alec wasn’t being defiled by a filthy warlock. Magnus didn’t feel inclined to tell her that that ship had already sailed (and oh, how it sailed) because, surprisingly, Alec had been far less shy and far more eager than Magnus had ever even dreamed he would be early in their relationship. They had only actually gone on one real date before Alec pounced, which Magnus felt oddly shy about when he remembered it. He had great plans to romance Alec and promise to take things slow and do everything to make sure Alec was comfortable with himself before he was ready to take it to the next level. Instead, they had gone on an absolutely wonderful date and then came back to Magnus’s place and fell into bed together.

But, Maryse didn’t need to know that much, and Magnus really didn’t mind Max tagging along. From the weirdly content look on his face, he presumed Alec didn’t mind that much either. 

Alec was such a natural born nurturer, Magnus had discovered. He loved being a big brother and it showed the most with Max. When they arrived, Alec was _holding his hand_ on the way up the stairs, and Magnus nearly melted at the sight. “You know, it’s a good thing I’m not a woman capable of bearing children, because the sight of you with a little kid would have me begging you to let me have your babies,” he joked and Alec rolled his eyes. 

“Well that’s not creepy at all,” he drawled adorably, and Magnus beamed when he got to the top of the stairs. 

“Magnus!” Max cried delightedly, tugging away from his brother to go hug Magnus. Magnus smiled and ruffled his little curly head, smiling down at the kid attached to his middle.

“And how is my little Nugget?” he asked, tapping him on the nose. “Are you excited for Halloween?”

Max made a face. “Shadowhunters don’t do Halloween,” he said, though he did not look happy at that.

Magnus gasped, putting his hands on his hips. “You mean you don’t get to go trick-or-treating? That’s just wrong,” he said, opening the door with a snap of his fingers before ushering Max inside. “All little ones should get to go trick-or-treating. Or at least dress up!” he added. He flitted across the room to grab Chairman Meow off the windowsill. “See! Even Chairman Meow dresses up!” he said, producing the cat for Max.

Max burst into giggles, putting his hands over his mouth as he looked at Chairman Meow in his little pirate costume. “Oh my God, he’s adorable!” he said, reaching out to take the cat from Magnus. Chairman Meow looked absolutely miserable at the turn of events, but he went without a fight into the little hands grabbing at him. 

“Shouldn’t his name be Captain Meow for the moment?” Alec asked, stepping up beside Magnus to watch Max run across the room and jump onto the couch with a ‘flump’ to cuddle the pirate kitty in his lap.

Leaning into Alec’s side, Magnus glanced up at him and winked. “Yesterday he was a pumpkin. He hates that one,” he confided, and Alec smiled down at him with a big, beautiful smile that Magnus was still falling more and more in love with every day. Magnus tipped his chin up and pecked Alec’s lips, only to smile when Alec followed him and kissed him more sweetly when he tried to pull away. “Hi,” he whispered, and Alec’s eyes sparkled as a slight blush faded from his cheeks.

“Hi,” he replied, curling his arm around Magnus’s waist.

“Did Chairman Meow have more costumes?” Max asked suddenly, drawing Magnus’s attention away from Alec again. 

Magnus nodded, patting Alec’s hip as he walked away from him to go join Max. “Sure did. “Every day this week! He got to be a pirate for actual Halloween,” he said pleasantly. 

Max grinned, fixing Chairman Meow’s pirate hat that had been knocked crooked. “Do warlocks like Halloween?” he asked Magnus, who smirked.

“Well, not all of us, just like not all mundanes like it, but I sure love it. A lot of Downworlders like having one night of the year we can get away with people seeing us how we really are and call it a costume. I, for example, plan on being a tiger, that way I can show my eyes normally,” he explained. “Last year I was a genie,” he said with a wink. “Everybody was so confused at how I was able to do ‘magic’,” he said and Max laughed. Magnus slung an arm over the back of the couch, looking down at Max beside him. “What do you want to be for Halloween?” he asked curiously.

Max pouted some. “I told you, we don’t get to do Halloween.”

“So?” Magnus said with a shrug. “You can still have something you would want to be if you could.” He leaned in. “Maybeeeeeee an elephant?” he tried and Max snickered, rolling his eyes.

“No, but Alec could be a giraffe, he’s so big,” he said, and Alec made an offended sound as he came over to sit on the other side of Max.

“Rude,” he said, reaching out to pet Chairman Meow, who leaned towards Alec because he knew Alec would pet him. 

Magnus snickered. “Alec could be Hawkeye, from the Avengers,” he joked.

Max beamed. “Or Loki, cause he’s tall and has black hair!” he said excitedly. “You like Avengers?” he asked Magnus, who scoffed dramatically.

“Of course I like Avengers. I’m alive and own a TV, that’s the only requirements for liking Avengers,” he said dismissively. “You could be a cute little Captain America,” he said, and Max preened.

Max looked up suddenly. “Oooh, no, I want to be Ash from Pokémon! He’s the coolest! And Chairman Meow could be my Pikachu,” he said, hugging the cat close again. “You’d be the best Pikachu, Chairman Meow.”

Magnus’s heart melted a little at the sight of Chairman Meow tentatively snuggling against Max’s shirt. He was really warming up to both Lightwoods lately. “But he’s a kitty cat. He’d have to be Meowth,” he countered, grinning when Max nodded sagely, as if seriously contemplating it. “So you like Pokémon, huh? Do you play Pokémon Go?” he asked, and Max pouted dramatically.

“I don’t have a phone,” he said, and Magnus realized that, yeah, okay, it was probably unlikely a nine year old Shadowhunter had a phone. “Also, even if I did, I doubt anybody would let me go play. I’m not allowed to play much of anything, especially not mundane games. I’m not supposed to watch TV either, but I just watch stuff online.”

Magnus saw the sad little look on his face and frowned, reaching out to stroke his hair gently. “Well that’s not really fair. You’re a little boy. Why can’t you play games?”

“Because we aren’t just Nephilim, we’re a long line of Shadowhunters,” Alec reminded Magnus in a softer tone. “Some kids in Idris get to have more normal lives, but the ones who are going to be lifelong Shadowhunters, we don’t get that option really.” He shrugged. “We’re trained from childhood to be warriors. Jace was already killing demons at Max’s age.”

Magnus’s eyes darkened some and he shuddered at the thought of some sweet little child being stripped of any chance to be a _child_ like that. “Well that’s just stupid,” he said bluntly. “I know it’s your culture, but it’s barbaric to treat a nine year old like a soldier,” he stressed. He looked at Max’s sweet little angel face and tapped his chin to get him to look up at him. “You and me? We’re going to play Pokémon and then when it gets a little later, we’re going trick-or-treating,” he decided, glancing at Alec. “Unless your brother has a problem with that,” he allowed, knowing it wasn’t his place to just take over like that.

Alec, however, looked at Magnus with so much unbridled affection that it was like a kick to the chest. “Nope, sounds fine with me,” Alec said and Magnus realized in that moment that Alec, for all his own upbringing as a warrior, hated it just as much as Magnus that his brother didn’t get to be a little boy for a while. If Magnus didn’t already love that man, he would have fallen for him all over again at the realization that he was just such a _good_ person. 

Magnus snagged Alec’s phone from his pocket and leaned back against the back of the couch. “You can just use Alec’s phone, since he doesn’t have a single app that wasn’t already installed on there.” He gave Max a sad look, shaking his head. “Your brother is so boring sometimes,” he said, and Max giggled at him. 

“And yet you chose to date me,” Alec countered and Magnus looked up at him with a wink.

“I’m teaching you to be less boring and you’re sweet enough it’s worth the work,” he joked. “Now, while this downloads, let me see what I can do about that costume,” Magnus said, looking at Max closely. He scrutinized him for a moment before snapping his fingers and, in a flash, Max sat on the couch dressed up like Ash from Pokemon, hat and gloves and all.

Max gasped, looking at his clothes. “By the Angel!” He jumped off the couch, spinning around to look at himself. “That’s so cool!” he cheered, eyes bright as he laughed. “Magic is so awesome,” he said, and then, much to Magnus’s surprise, Max leapt onto him, hugging him tight. “Thank you, Magnus!”

“You’re welcome, my little Nugget,” Magnus said cheerfully. He looked over at Alec. “Now, _you_ ,” he said, tapping his chin. “We need a costume for you.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Magnus, no. You’re not in costume.”

“Oh yeah?” Magnus stood up and snapped his fingers, and in a flash, his outfit was gone, replaced by a pair of bright orange jeans and orange and black and white paint all over his body, as if he’d been professionally body-painted as a tiger. He blinked and opened his cat-eyes with a smirk. “You were saying,” he said, lips painted black like a cat’s lips. 

Max looked at Alec with big, wide eyes. “Alec, pleeeeeeease?” he said, batting his eyelashes. Magnus grinned because man, this kid sure knew how to play his brother.

Magnus looked at Alec for a long moment before snorting. “Oh my God!” he cried as he burst into giggles. “I know just the thing!” He snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, Alec’s clothes were replaced by a white toga, a cheap set of fuzzy red wings that looked tiny on Alec’s large frame, and a teeny red bow with heart-tipped arrows. “You’re a cupid!” he said, cackling at the offended look on Alec’s face as he looked at the little novelty bow and arrow.

“No,” he said firmly. Max pouted and Magnus gave him a little smile.

“Alexander, you’re cute-“

“No,” he said more firmly, and Magnus batted his eyelashes. 

“Okay, what if I give you back your clothes and you just wear the wings and the bow?” he tried.

Alec opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing and slumping. “Fine,” he grumbled, and Magnus and Max both cheered and high-fived. Magnus waved his hand and Alec’s black shirt and black jeans returned, with the little red wings just on top of them. The little bow was still in his hands. “For the record, I hate you both,” he said firmly, and Magnus just grinned.

“Well we love you, so tough,” he said, walking over to peck Alec’s cheek. “Now, I’m gonna grab my phone and download that game so me and Max can play together, and then we’ll go. Oh! And go to the closet in the hall and get the little Jack-O-Lantern bucket!” he asked as he headed to his bedroom. “So Max can put candy in it.”

~

There was just something about the way Magnus was with Max that made Alec get a little dopey. He knew it was stupid, but watching them walking ahead of him down the stairs into the subway holding hands, chatting excitedly and skipping a little on the last steps, made him want to grab them both in a giant hug. He had been falling for Magnus crazy fast already, but to see how kind he was to Max and how welcoming he was to this child that was interrupting their time together instead of being upset made him fall even faster. 

Alec had never told Magnus that he loved him, but he was pretty sure his face said it loud and clear as he watched his boyfriend and his baby brother having fun like they were old friends. When they got onto the train, Max held onto the bar below Magnus’s hand, leaning back against Alec’s front to look up at him. “Are you glamoured?” he whispered, and Alec shook his head.

“Nope, visible to everybody,” he said and Magnus smirked.

“So everybody can see your fabulous wings,” he teased. He reached out and plucked the string on his little red bow and Alec rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“I look ridiculous, you know that, right?” he said, and Magnus winked, leaning in to Alec, who was all but ready to meet him in a kiss before they were interrupted.

Max made a noise of disgust. “Please don’t kiss over my head. It’s gross enough without being in the middle of it.” Alec and Magnus both looked down at him and he was glaring up at them. 

“Awww, don’t worry, Nugget,” Magnus said, leaning down to smack a kiss to his cheek and make him flail and fall back against Alec in his haste to wipe at his face. “You’re the only one that gets my kisses today,” he threatened and Max whined, turning to wipe his face with the hem of Alec’s jacket comically.

“Ewwww, Alec, your boyfriend gave me _germs_!” he cried, looking absolutely scandalized. 

Alec just snorted and bit his lip to hide his grin. “Good,” he said simply, earning an angry glare from under the brim of Max’s little hat.

~

By the time it was late enough to go trick-or-treating, Max and Magnus had both caught a bunch of whatever they were on that game they were playing (Alec tried to understand, but he really, really didn’t) and were comparing on their phones when Alec’s phone rang in Max’s hands. Max looked at it and his face fell visibly. He held the phone out to Alec, and Alec saw his mother’s name on the screen. He saw the heartbroken acceptance in Max’s eyes as he glanced at his still-empty Halloween bucket, and Alec’s gut clenched.

He swiped to answer the call and cleared his throat. “Yes?” he answered.

“Alec, are you and Max coming back soon?” Alec looked at Max’s sad little face and he pressed his lips together for a moment. “Alec? Are you there?”

“Yeah, Mom, but I think we’re gonna be late,” he said, and Max’s head popped up in surprise. Alec smiled at him and winked. “I’m teaching Max how to shadow a mark and we’ve ended up all the way in Queens. We’re going to stop for some dinner and find somebody heading back to the City and I’ll let Max take the lead. It might be past his bedtime when we get back, sorry.”

“Oh, that’s actually really great,” Maryse said, sounding very pleased. “Nice job, Alec. Setting a good example for once. I’m very proud of you.”

It burned a little to hear that ‘for once’ thrown in there, but she was buying it while he was staring at his little brother and his boyfriend dressed up for Halloween, all set to go trick-or-treating instead of actually doing a lesson to be a better Shadowhunter. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you when we’re on our way back.”

“That sounds fine. You can tell me all about Max’s performance when you get home,” she said and then hung up without so much as a ‘goodbye’. 

When he lowered his phone and put it back on the game app to hand to Max, he smiled down at him. “Here-“ Max knocked the phone aside and slammed into his middle, hugging him hard.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he gushed, looking up at Alec with a giant smile. “You’re the best brother ever!”

Alec would deny it until his dying day, but there was a little lump in his throat when he hugged Max back. “Yeah, well, you better remember the lie we’re telling so we don’t get busted,” he said, pushing the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes, grinning when he grumbled and put it back in place. He looked up at Magnus and his chest tightened when he saw the adoring look in Magnus’s eyes and he gave him a more private smile.

Magnus stepped forward, resting a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Well, in that case! My neighborhood actually has pretty decent trick-or-treating. It would be easier if I lived in a high-rise, but my street has tons of people that sit on the stoops and give out candy. So we should head that way and keep playing as he go,” he suggested to Max, who beamed, taking Alec’s phone back finally.

“I’m gonna level up before you do!” he declared and Magnus gave him a playfully mean look.

“Just try it, Kid,” he growled, and Max giggled when he turned and led the way towards the corner. Magnus fell into step with Alec, who reached down and slid his fingers through Magnus’s. Magnus looked at him and raised an eyebrow silently, and Alec just smiled, blushing just a teeny bit.

“What? A guy can’t hold hands with his boyfriend?” he muttered bashfully and Magnus smirked.

“Of course. I just didn’t expect it,” he said, squeezing Alec’s hand. He leaned his head against Alec’s shoulder for a moment with a soft sigh. “You’re just so amazing, Alexander,” he said softly and Alec grinned, tugging Magnus into his side again so he could press a kiss to his head. 

“Stop kissing and hurry up!” Max shouted from a few yards ahead and Alec snorted while Magnus let out a laugh. 

“Alright, alright, we’re coming!”

~

Magnus could tell trick-or-treating had been a very odd experience for Alec. The idea of kids in costumes running up to people and shouting ‘trick or treat’, which made no sense at all when he thought about it, had Alec looking at them like they were on crack. It was adorable how much of a Nephilim Alec was. However, he dutifully trudged along with them the whole time, smiling and nodding when everybody commented on his costume.

The only time it got a bit awkward was when this old lady sitting in her wheelchair outside her building handing out candy commented on how lovely it was to see ‘a child’s parents dressing up with him’. Alec had spluttered and explained that Max was his brother, and that he wasn’t old enough to be his dad even, but Max just rolled his eyes at them and thanked the lady for the candy. 

Where he sat now, drinking tea on the sofa while Alec sat on the floor with Max sorting through the candy – and pulling out his phone to google candy they weren’t familiar with, which was adorable – with intense studiousness, all he could think about was how desperately lucky he was that Alexander Lightwood was his boyfriend. Alec was so attentive and had so much patience with anybody (except Simon, hilariously) and with Max he was even more attentive and patient than ever. Alec had so many responsibilities and there was so much going on in his life, and yet he always made time for Magnus and, as he could see now, he was willing to go the extra mile with his baby brother.

“Oohhhh, this is really good chocolate,” Alec said suddenly, and Magnus watched as he passed Max a piece of whatever he’d just eaten, and Max made the same happy noise, his little eyes lighting up. “Hey, Babe,” Alec said, turning to toss something at Magnus.

Magnus caught it with one hand and smirked as he looked over at Alec. “‘Babe’, huh? That’s new,” he teased and Alec blushed. Magnus winked. “Don’t worry, I like it.” He opened the candy and ate it, only to hum in surprise and nod as he chewed. “Man, that is good,” he agreed.

Alec turned back to Max, who was shoving two pieces of candy in his mouth at one time, and gave him a chastising look. “If you eat too much, you’re gonna regret it,” he reminded him, and Max just shrugged, already opening a Reese’s cup. Alec snorted and grabbed a few pieces on his way up to his feet. He walked over and plopped down beside Magnus, offering him a piece of candy. 

Magnus took it and grinned. “Thank you, Darling,” he said, and Alec, hand now free, put his arm along the back of the couch behind Magnus, leaving his side open for Magnus to snuggle into him. Magnus sighed, resting his head right in the spot between Alec’s neck and shoulder, body leaned against the long, solid line of Alec’s body, relaxing into the familiar warmth. “You know, this is probably the most fun Halloween I’ve ever had.”

“Oh yeah?” Alec asked skeptically, looking down at him. “Trick-or-treating with your boyfriend’s nine year old brother is the most fun you’ve had? You don’t have a party to go to tonight anywhere?”

“Actually, I did,” Magnus said honestly, smiling when Alec looked confused. “But I party all the time. I’d much rather spend an evening with my incredible boyfriend and his sweet little brother. You two are both such sweethearts,” he teased. “You’re so kind and you don’t even realize how special that is, and then Max is just such a charming little shit. That kid could talk anybody into anything with those big, sweet puppy eyes and innocent little smile. I bet even when you know he’s playing you, it still works,” he added and Alec laughed, but nodded.

“It’s hard to be the disciplined one when it comes to him,” he admitted. He exhaled tiredly, looking at Magnus searchingly, in that way that Magnus always felt meant Alec could read everything in his eyes. “You promise we didn’t ruin your Halloween?”

Magnus brightened, leaning closer to Alec. “You could never ruin any day.” He closed the gap, meeting Alec in a sweet, tender kiss that Alec relaxed into. It was so chaste and so comfortable of a kiss that Magnus couldn’t imagine ever feeling this way before, no matter how absurd that had to be. He had been in every type of relationship imaginable, and even though it always felt different with each person, he did have experience in these feelings before. Somehow, it just felt like _more_ with Alec, even if he knew it couldn’t be.

When the kiss broke, Magnus held Alec’s gaze for a moment, and Alec gave a tiny, devious little smirk. “You’re the cutest tiger I’ve ever kissed,” he whispered and Magnus only then remembered that he was still painted like a tiger.

“I love you,” Magnus blurted out, cringing slightly when Alec startled a little bit. It wasn’t surprising, since he’d practically shouted it at him, given their close proximity. Thankfully, he didn’t have to start babbling to cover how blunt he’d been, because Alec recovered from his jerk and gave that beautiful, crooked smile that Magnus knew so well.

Alec pecked his lips again, very quickly, and sat back some. “I love you, too,” he said simply. 

It was so strange that Magnus had known for a while now that yes, Alec loved him, it was too obvious to be anything else, and yet to hear those words for the first time made Magnus feel like his insides were too big for his body to contain, but in a good way, as joy swelled within him rapidly. Magnus curled himself into Alec’s arms, hugging him close in lieu of response, and Alec just kissed his head and held him close, popping his last piece of candy in his mouth as they settled on the couch together to just cuddle in silence while Max continued picking through his candy haul on the floor in front of them. 

When it came time for Alec and Max to finally leave – with Max’s candy hidden in his brother’s pockets – Magnus hugged Max goodbye and promised they could play Pokémon again next time he came. When it was Alec’s turn, he tipped his chin up and met him in a slightly more solid kiss since Max wasn’t watching this time. Alec sighed against his lips and Magnus mumbled grumpily. “That was unfair. You can’t kiss me like that when I have to let you go,” he complained, pouting up at Alec.

Alec smirked, leaning in to kiss him one more time, slow and deep, before pulling away. “Something to remember me by until I can come stay the night again.”

“Eurgh,” Magnus groaned, making a face. “MAX! Come take your brother away, he’s being mean to me!” he called, and Max popped back into the doorway.

“Alec, c’mon, it’s late and I’m tired and Mom’s gonna be pissed! You can make out with your boyfriend some other time, _ew_ ,” he said, and Alec rolled his eyes dramatically, turning around with a look that rivaled Max’s for Biggest Diva.

“You’re bossier than Jace, I swear to the Angel,” Alec accused, walking over to Max. He turned him around and pushed him ahead of him as they went out the door. “Say goodbye to Magnus,” he prompted.

“Bye, Magnus! See you later!” Max called, and Magnus walked to the top of the stairs to watch them heading down.

“Bye, Nugget,” he said, waving over the railing. He winked at Alec flirtatiously. “And I’ll see you a lot sooner, Alexander,” he purred, and Alec just rolled his eyes.

“Love you, too,” he called just before he disappeared out of sight.

Magnus stood listening to the echoes of his favorite Lightwoods voices until he heard the door downstairs open with a scraping bang and they were gone. He turned back to head inside and finally snapped his fingers to remove his costume. He hadn’t lied earlier, it had been his best Halloween ever. He could have still gone to that party that would certainly rage until dawn, but he didn’t want to chance the party tainting his perfect Halloween spent with his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s adorable little brother.


End file.
